OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Skutt Catholic High School is like many schools, not just in Omaha, but around the nation - learning to adapt to artificial intelligence. Principal Rob Meyers recently created a committee for teachers that's dedicated to discussing AI and how to best use it for purposes around the classroom. So far, he said teachers have used AI for purposes like helping lesson plan.
"What I've been doing as a teacher for 20 years, 10 years, 30 years has changed dramatically over the past two because of this. So, I have to think differently," said Meyers.
Over at Westside High School, Ryan Stejskal teaches computer science classes and has been implementing AI into his curriculum for some time.
"We do bring in some of the ideas of AI into some of our courses. We talk about things like, for example, how games work and how computer-controlled characters work in games," said Stejskal.
At the higher education level, the University of Nebraska-Omaha is taking using AI a step further. UNO launched its AI Learning Lab with the goal to educate its professors, students, and employees on how to implement AI effectively into courses. It's trying to teach how AI will prepare students for the workforce.
"Certainly, what UNO is doing, we're not one of a kind. But I think the way we're shaping this lab, the multiple components of this lab, the mission of this lab, I do think it's pretty progressive to create a great opportunity for UNO to stand out," said Associate Vice Chancellor Jaci Lindburg.
Professor Brent Clark has been using AI in his classes and said the lab is needed so it can be beneficial not just to people now, but for future generations.
"One of the most obvious and best ways to use AI in a classroom is its generative capabilities," said Clark. "What I mean by that is, if you're trying to write something, AI can help you write it. If you're trying to craft a new business slogan or a marketing campaign, AI can help you generate that as well."
From high schools to higher education, school leaders say AI is not the past or the future; it's in the now.
